Apparatus for dehydrating oils.



P. W. PRUTZMAN.

APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATING OILS. APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 6. m3.

1,23,331 a Patented Aug. 28, 1917,

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

ATTOREYS:

P. W. PRUTZMAN.

APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATING OILS.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 6. I913.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETSHSHEET 2'.

A TTOR NE YS.

OFICE.

.IPAUL W. PRUTZMAN, OF BERKELEY, CALIIE*('JR1\TIA.

APPABATUSFOR DEHYDRATING- OILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed May 6, 1913. Serial No. 765,804.

To all 'wlw m it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL W. PRUTZMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Berkeley, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Dehydrating Oils, of which the following is a specification.

Among the objects of this invention are to quickly, simply and economically separate water or the lighter hydrocarbons from pctroleum or the like, preparatory to its fur.- ther refining or use as fuel; and

To provide simple and efficient means for dehydrating a flowing stream of petroleum or the like.

The following description and the accompanying drawings will be devoted to the disclosureof the process and the means for dehydrating petroleum, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting the scope of this invention to that particular substance.

This invention possesses other advantageous features which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following de scription, where I shall outline in full that form of invention selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. The novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding said description. From this, it will be apparent that I do not restrict myself to the showing made by said drawings and description, as I may adopt many variations within the scope of my invention as expressed in said claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation in cross-section on the line I I of a dehydrating apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view from above of the same, in cross section on the line II-II.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same in cross section on the line IIIIII.

Fig. 4 is an isometrical perspective of a.

- section of the spray pipe from which the petroleum is discharged from-the dehydratmg coil.

In detail the construction consists of the closed retort 1, having the overflow pipe 2 therefrom: this overflow pipe discharges below the level of the liquid in the trap 3 which prevents the escape of vapors from the retort through the overflow pipe. The same result can be attained by other arrangetube has a l to the outlet.

ment which will be obvious to those skilled in this art. From the trap the residual liquid is led away through the pipe 4 to a reservoir or into a further refining apparatus not shown.

The vapors are drawn off from the retort through the exit pipe 5, which may be connected with a suitable condenser indicated at 6.

The retort is preferably cylindrical and is provided with the heating coil 7 made up of pipe in any suitable arrangement to lie close to the shell 8 of the retort. The spacer pipes 9 are interposed between the shell of the retort and the heating coil, to permit the contents of the still to circulate freely about the whole surface of the coil. The end 10 of the coil is led back to the steam generator (not shown) or exhausts into the air as desired.

The petroleum is introduced into the stillthrough the dehydrating conduit 11 surrounding the steam pipe until it branches out into the coil. The petroleum surrounding this steam pipe is preheated as it enters the still, so that the initial entrance of the cold oil will notcause a sudden drop of term perature inthe still, particularly in the upper portion where a cold oil pipe would cause a slight condensation of the vaporsrising from the body of liquid in the still.

The dehydration tube 11 branches oifat 12 and is formedinto a coil 13 or other shape best adapted to absorb the heat radiated from the heating coil 7. The dehydrating gradual descent from the inlet Arranging the dehydration tube within the retort effects a great economy in operation by conserving the heat, and also a saving of space, but other ways of heating the oil will suggest themselves to persons in this art.

A particular advantage in the use of this invention resides in the spray discharge below the surface of a body of the liquidheated to the proper temperature. In the treat ment of foaming oil, the foaming takes place in the dehydrating tube, from which the vapors emerge through the restricted discharge openings in small quantlties, not sufunder pressure in fine streams or sprays.

I Practice has proven that jetting the heated oil thus materially aids, particularly in the foaming oils, the separation of the hydrov carbons and lighter components from the residual mass, through which they rise as bubbles giving off any attached particles of sumes the temperature of the retort, which oil to the mass through which they are passing, and from which they emerge as free vapors to be drawn off by suction or otherwise through the exit 5;

The incoming stream of oil gradually as- Water being a heavier mass will remain at the bottom of a the retort until vaporized the steam coil also located atthat point, in any event water cannot float out through the overflow pipe 2 and must eventually pass off with the vapors at 5 to be eliminated bysuitable separators in the process of condensation. In separating the lighter hydrocarbons the boiling point of which may be less than that of water, the water accumulating at the bottom of the retort can be drawn oil through the tap 18 at the lowest point in the retort;

The particular advantages of "this process and apparatus are the perfect control of the temperatures, the direct action and thoroughness of the dehydration, economy in the use of heat, simplicity of the apparatus, its low initial cost, and compact self contained arrangement of the parts and the further fact that certain oils that foam and interfere with the usual processes of dehydration readily respond to treatment by this present process and .apparatus.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: l

1. Anapparatus for dehydrating oil comprising incombination a retort, a steam coii near the bottom of said retort but definitely spaced therefrom, a second coil through which oil is introduced into the retort, said second coil being placed immediately above the steam coil and having small apertures on its under surface whereby oil is projected in jets downwardly toward thesteam coil, and means for preheating the oil before it is introduced into said second coil.

2. The process of treating hydrated oils which consists in driving off the lighter fractions of oil and water ata single operation .by maintaining a body of petroleum in a closed still at approximately atmos-' pheric pressure, and forcing small jets of heated hydrated oil against a heated body beneath the surface of said body of oil.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 16th day of April, 1913. I

PAUL W. PRUTZMAN.

In presence oi-' BALDWIN VALE, HARRY L. BURLESON. 

